Knowledge, attitude and practices regarding health self-management among patients with osteogenesis imperfecta in China: an online cross-sectional survey

OBJECTIVES: Assessing the knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) regarding health self-management among patients with osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) in China. DESIGN: An online cross-sectional survey. SETTING: A structured questionnaire was distributed online through China-Dolls Center for Rare Disorders (CCRD), a non-governmental charity in China. PARTICIPANTS: Participants were all patients with OI from CCRD. After stratified sampling according to the economic level of residential city, 901 patients were proportionally selected and 869 patients completed the survey (response rate: 96.4%). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Demographic characteristics and KAP information were gathered using a 5-point Likert scale. The score of each dimension of KAP was the sum of the scores of all included items. Χ(2) test or Fisher’s exact test was used to compare scores of different items. Ordinal regression was employed to determine the significant factors influencing KAP. RESULTS: A total of 802 questionnaires were included for analysis. Male respondents accounted for 57.1%, and 29.1% of respondents were of 26~30 years. More than half (50~60%) of patients knew the main symptoms of OI and the treatment of OI-related complications. Almost 80% of patients showed positive attitude. Nearly 60~70% of the patients were relatively able to take appropriate practice regarding OI management. There was a significant correlation between scores of knowledge and attitude, attitude and practice, as well as knowledge and practice. Patients aged 26~30 years, from urban areas and big cities, had higher KAP scores. Male patients showed better performance in knowledge, and highly educated patients perform better in practice. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with OI did not have sufficient knowledge on disease care and up-to-date caring guidelines, and their practice regarding health self-management also needs to be improved. Gender, age, educational level and economic level of residence can affect the level of KAP for patients, thus developing targeted and tailored programmes for patients with OI is highly recommended.